Jean Henri Lhuillier, president of Unified Tennis Philippines, is very optimistic of the Philippine tennis team’s chances in the coming Southeast Asian Games.
A long-time patron of Philippine tennis, Lhuillier knows very well the core of the team with him personally supporting the international campaign of three of the members of the men’s team.
“I expect the team to do well in the SEAG. I have been supporting Treat Huey, Ruben Gonzales and Nino Alcantara for quite sometime now because I believe in their talent and their potential to be at par with the world’s best,” said Lhuillier, president of UTP and CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier.
Huey, Gonzales, Alcantara, all Cebuana Lhuillier Sports ambassadors, spearhead the SEAG-bound men’s tennis team that includes Jeson Patrombon and AJ Lim.
Under the guidance and support of Lhuillier, Huey, Gonzales and Alcantara achieved their highest world ranking in doubles in the recent years with Huey reaching a peak ranking of world no. 17 that includes semifinals and multiple quarterfinals finishes in Grand Slam tournaments.
Gonzales and Alcanatara, meanwhile, have been racking up titles in recent years in ITF Futures and ATP Challengers.
Aside from gold medals in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games, Lhuillier is eyeing Huey and Gonzales or Alcantara to qualify for the Olympics doubles in 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“If Treat could regain his form back from his injuries and get back in the top 30 in the world and Ruben or Nino makes a surge to the top 100, it could be possible for them to make it to Tokyo 2020. I will continue to support them in their quest to achieve higher rankings,” said Lhuillier.